2022 American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Young Adult Honor Book

Each year the American Library Association honors and encourages original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. We would like to congratulate Cherie Dimaline whose incredible Hunting By Stars is a 2022 American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Young Adult Honor Book.

Hunting by Stars
By Cherie Dimaline
400 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780735269651 | Penguin Teen Canada
The thrilling follow-up to the bestselling, award-winning novel The Marrow Thieves, about a dystopian world where the Indigenous people of North America are being hunted for their bone marrow and ability to dream. Years ago, when plagues and natural disasters killed millions of people, much of the world stopped dreaming. Without dreams, people are haunted, sick, mad, unable to rebuild. The government soon finds that the Indigenous people of North America have retained their dreams, an ability rumored to be housed in the very marrow of their bones. Soon, residential schools pop up – or are re-opened – across the land to bring in the dreamers and harvest their dreams. Seventeen-year-old French lost his family to these schools and has spent the years since heading north with his new found family: a group of other dreamers, who, like him, are trying to build and thrive as a community. But then French wakes up in a pitch-black room, locked in and alone for the first time in years, and he knows immediately where he is – and what it will take to escape. Meanwhile, out in the world, his found family searches for him and dodges new dangers – school Recruiters, a blood cult, even the land itself. When their paths finally collide, French must decide how far he is willing to go – and how many loved ones is he willing to betray – in order to survive. This engrossing, action-packed, deftly-drawn novel expands on the world of Cherie Dimaline’s award-winning The Marrow Thieves, and it will haunt readers long after they’ve turned the final page.

Day 2: Festival of Trees 2009

Here is the second day of the 2009 Festival of Trees! You can read about Day 1 here. On day 2, the Silver Birch Awards were announced.

Silver Birch Award: Ages 7-11, Grades 3-6

Fiction Winner: The Third Eye by Mahtab Narsimhan
Fiction Honour books: Eye of the Crow – The Boy Sherlock Holmes by Shane Peacock and Swindle by Gordon Korman

Non-Fiction Winner: Gold Medal for Weird by Kevin Sylvester
Non-Fiction Honour books: Everything But the Kitchen Sink: Weird Stuff You Didn’t
Know About Food
by Frieda Wishinsky and Elizabeth MacLeod and Brave Deeds: How One Family Saved Many by Ann Alma

Express Winner: Dear Sylvia by Alan Cumyn
Express Honour books: Feather Brain by Maureen Bush and Boy in Motion – The Rick Hansen Story by Ainslie Manson

Shane Peacock signing Eye of the Crow
Shane Peacock signing Eye of the Crow.

Line Ups
Just look at the line-ups for autographs!

Games and Activities
More games and activities for the students.

Once again, congratulations to the authors and illustrations and a big thank you to everyone made the event such a success! Until next year!

Day 1: Festival of Trees 2009

The Ontario Library Association hosts the Forest of Reading Programs  where readers vote for their favourite books. There are 7 different reading programs, categorized by grade level and age. The winner for each award were announced at the Festival of Trees at the Harbourfront Centre on May 13 and 14th. Honour books, books that also received a high number of votes, were also announced. Over 250,000 students in Ontario voted! More than 70 authors and illustrators attended, along with over 6,000 young readers in the audience. These kids know how to make their favourite authors and illustrators feel like a rockstar!

Forest of Reading 2009

The Blue Spruce Award: Ages 4-7, Kindergarten to Grade 2
Winner: Chester by Melanie Watts
Honour books: Such a Prince by Dan Bar-El and Stanley at Sea by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin

The Red Maple Award: Ages 11-15, Grades 7-8
Fiction Winner: Out of the Cold by Norah McClintock
Fiction Honour books: Egghead by Caroline Pignat and Frost by Nicole Luiken
Non-Fiction Winner: Elizabeth MacLeod’s Royal Murder: The Deadly Intrigue of the Ten Sovereigns
Non-Fiction Honour books: Ed Butts for SOS: Stories of Survival and Fire on the Water by Wendy Lewis

The White Pine Award: Grades 9-12
Winner: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Honour books: After River by Donna Milner and Gravity Journal by Gail Sidonie Sobat

The Blue Spruce
Cary Fagan and Dušan Petričić‘s My New Shirt was nominated for the Blue Spruce Award.

The Red Maple

Ed Butts
Congratulations to Ed Butts for SOS: Stories of Survival being named an Honour book! Student volunteers held signs and gave a small introduction before the authors and illustrators came up.

Forest of Reading 2009
After the award ceremonies, students and teachers can meet the authors and illustrators, have their books signed, do arts and crafts, play games, and participate in various activities. Basically a literary fairground!

Giant Jenga
That is one giant Jenga!

The Stanley Cup
The Hockey Hall of Fame had the Stanley Cup on display!

Forest of Reading 2009

Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators! Thank you to all the organizers, volunteers, authors, illustrators, teachers, and students for all their work!